So, what’s the story with the hidden arch?
In 1851, John Ferris Seaman purchased a property atop a hill in Upper Manhattan. He built a marble mansion on the hilltop, described as the Mount Olympus on the Hudson. In 1869, he added an arch at the estate’s entrance—a scale replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
After Seaman’s death in 1872, the property changed hands several times. However, in 1938, a developer demolished the mansion to make way for an apartment complex. The arch survived, but the new owners built around it.
After a fire destroyed the arch’s roof and much of its interior in the 1970s, it was left to deteriorate.
The arch has never been marked, nor is it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It remains somewhat forgotten, but after 152 years, it still stands—a quiet icon of Inwood and the entrance to JB & Tony Auto Body Repair. That’s a little interesting.